News & Events
June 2011
The IIS is pleased to announce the publication of one of the significant poetic works in Ismaili literature — the Diwan or collected poems of the eminent scholar, statesman and chief da‘i of the Fatimids, al-Mu’ayyad fi’l-Din al-Shirazi (1000-1078 CE).
The Diwan consists of 62 qasidas of varying length composed by al-Mu’ayyad during his time as a Fatimd da‘i in Persia, Iraq, Egypt and Syria. In addition to providing a rare, first-hand account of some of the political and sectarian tensions that polarised the Muslim community of his time, al-Mu’ayyad’s Diwan is a masterpiece of Arabic literature and constitutes the finest expression in Arabic verse of the Ismaili traditions of intellectuality, spirituality and esotericism.
This first complete English translation of the Diwan entitled Mount of Knowledge, Sword of Eloquence by Mohamad Adra, an independent scholar of Ismaili literature based in Syria, seeks to recapture some of the poetic power and flavour of what is undoubtedly one of the masterpieces of medieval Arabic literature.
An introduction by Kutub Kassam provides an historical overview of al-Mu’ayyad’s life, career and writings. This publication will appeal to specialist scholars and students of Ismaili studies, as well as anyone with an interest in early Islamic literature.- Publication Content: Memoirs of a mission: The Ismaili Scholar, Statesman and Poet, al-Mu’ayyad fi’l-Din al-Shirazi
- Publication Content: Shimmering Light: An Anthology of Ismaili Poetry
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